Of Heaven and Bad Boys
by sankage
Summary: Aziraphale wonders, recounts, and just admires the redhead demon he came to know for a millenia, after said redheaded demon offers they live together. A one-shot.


**Disclaimer:** The characters are not mine, nor does the novel and/or miniseries Good Omens. All rights reserve to Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and Amazon Prime. I did not profit from the making of the following fan fiction, which is written for pure entertainment purposes of the author, your's truly. Song lyrics are from "Heaven" by Julia Michaels.

**Of Heaven and Bad Boys**

**A Songfic**

**I**

_Love's my religion but he was my faith  
Something so sacred so hard to replace  
Fallin' for him was like fallin' from grace_

The Armageddon-that-wasn't certainly changed things.

For one thing, Aziraphale had lost all possible connections with Heaven. Though, perhaps not with the Almighty, of Whom he was still in contact with constantly. He might not have received any answer so far but, Aziraphale still prayed nonetheless. He was certain that he was heard every time, just as how the Almighty lends an ear to every prayer. Despite everything, he was still an angel after all. It put a whole new meaning on "an angel out of Heaven" but, an angel still.

Though there were things he still had. He still had his bookshop and his books, he still enjoyed a hot cup of cocoa once in a while, and still dined at all the restaurants he loved. Also, among other things, he still had Crowley…

He looked up towards the window, where the red-haired demon stood by a long-forgotten pile, a book in his hands. Though Aziraphale doubted Crowley had any interest on whatever was written on the book. He doubted Crowley ever had an interest in reading at all.

The demon had come earlier, had waited patiently as Aziraphale miracle his way in the subtlest means, and succeeded in dissuading the latest customer that took an interest in buying. Crowley then questioned the point of having a bookshop, since Aziraphale wouldn't part with any of his books, and suggested a library. To which Aziraphale simply pointed out how libraries have library cards, as though it was the most obvious of answers.

"You could've just set up a personal space where you can horde all the books you want," said Crowley, replacing the book on the top of the stack, and walked over to Aziraphale's desk. Well, not walk so much as sauntered over, Aziraphale took notice. "Saves you a lot of trouble, really." The demon tilted his head towards the door where the customer had just gone out and left.

"What are you getting at, Crowley?" Aziraphale asked. There was an underlying meaning beneath, that he couldn't understand why the demon just won't tell him straight.

"Let's move in together."

Silence.

Aziraphale blinked. Once. Twice. Several more times.

The response was simple, delivered casually in an equally casual tone. As if the offer wasn't that much of a big deal; which of course was the opposite, as far as Aziraphale was concerned.

"What?" came his pathetic response.

"There doesn't seem to be a point anymore why we should live separately," explained Crowley. "Everything's out in the open now."

Despite the attempt on nonchalance, there was tension emanating from the demon, Aziraphale could feel it. He just stared though, trying to make sense of it all.

Eventually it was Crowley who broke the silence and sighed. "They might try something. There's no telling when or where, or how. I don't know about your people, but Hell might not just let things go that easily."

Again, Aziraphale did not make an immediate response. He wasn't entirely surprise by Crowley's words; he dreaded about the same thing everyday. There was not a prayer where he did not ask the Almighty whether Uriel or Sandalphon might show up for a "visit" anytime soon. He also wondered at the back of his mind whether the Almighty Herself may have thought up of a possible punishment for him and Crowley. A small part of him very much liked to believe that there might not be any coming their way.

"And what compelled you to think that your offer is the best option we have to survive whatever it is they might try?"

Crowley shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought we might stand a better chance if we stayed together."

_Together_. There was that word again.

Aziraphale tried to think up of a reason to say no, and was utterly failing. The same could be said of trying to come up with a reason as to why he was hesitating. He started fiddling with his fingers without his knowing - an instinctive response to stressing over an internal battle.

"Only if you want to."

The demon's voice cut through his mind, putting a temporary halt to his warring thoughts, as he gazed up into those dark-tinted glasses.

"It's your choice, angel." Crowley sounded a bit sad. Even _looked_ like it.

_You've been a bit of a Fallen Angel_. The words came unbidden in his thoughts. But instead of Uriel and Sandalphon, the words conjured up an image of Crowley's retreating back in his mind.

_We could go off together… Alpha Centauri_.

The slightest bit of his hesitation was gradually dissolving, as he slowly came to a decision. "And where would you suggest we move?"

Crowley visibly lightened, but still kept up with his appearance of nonchalance. "Haven't thought about it. South Downs perhaps. Again, only if you like."

A smile pulled at the corners of Aziraphale's lips. _Anywhere with you would be perfect_. "I'd love that," he said.

**II**

_All wrapped in one he was so many sins  
Would have done anything everything for him  
And if you ask me I would do it again_

Aziraphale was adamant, that there was no way in the universe he'd get used to being a passenger in the Bentley with Crowley driving 90 miles per hour. Unless, of course, it was an end-of-the-world situation in which case, he'd cause the vehicle to move even faster. But still, he was in no way in want of getting discorporated. So, in an attempt to draw his thoughts away from that possibility, he opted for conversation.

"I do hope we find a lovely cottage there," he started. "Would you prefer a garden outside or just the houseplants?"

"We'll see when we get there," replied Crowley, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian crossing, which produced a short yelp from Aziraphale.

"Are we to at least discuss what our living arrangement shall be like?" Aziraphale grabbed hopelessly at anything as the Bentley turned a corner.

"You can have one side to your books and I'll take another for houseplants. What other arrangement is there?" Crowley hit the brakes as they came upon slow traffic. Then proceeded to complain about not liking the idea of getting stuck but made no attempts about getting out of it either.

Aziraphale sighed thankfully, taking note of the impatient way Crowley's finger tapped at the steering wheel.

"Well, I would think that, in the future in case a _visit_ may occur, that we might take precautions. 'For insurance' as you've called it once."

"Holy water, you mean. Why not? It worked wonders the first time."

"Don't worry, I'd ensure it is kept somewhere safe," assured Aziraphale with a nod and a smile. "To prevent any accidents."

The Bentley slowly advanced forward. "Or put it in a vault like I have. We could get one made."

Aziraphale was starting to feel uneasy. There was a stirring in the pit of his stomach that tingled in a way not to his liking. And since they were stuck in traffic, he knew it had nothing to do with Crowley's driving. "You have mentioned it had proven rather effective." Crowley confirmed with a noncommittal sound. "I'm glad it saved you in some way."

Slowly the traffic moved in a much steadier pace.

"Would you have really done it?" The question came out before he could stop himself. "Go to church and steal Holy water?"

Crowley glanced over to him before answering. "It's been a long time. I would've thought by now there was no doubt that I was serious."

For a moment, the only sound that occupied the silence between them was the murmur of the Bentley's engine.

"Has it occurred to you that I would've done anything to prevent you from doing so, anyway?"

The Bentley came to a halt, as traffic once again stopped moving. Crowley arched a dark brow above dark glasses and looked over to him. Aziraphale met the demon's gaze with a steady one of his own.

"I know, angel," said Crowley. "I think it's safe to say that I've always known." He shifted gears and the Bentley lunged forward.

Aziraphale turned back his attention to the road, a smile was playing across his lips.

"Do you mind if I put on some music?" Crowley was already picking out a CD.

"Not at all." Aziraphale beamed, almost jumping on his seat, a twinkle in his eyes.

**III**

_You don't realize the power they have  
Until they leave you and you want them back  
Nothing in this world prepares you for that_

It was the strangest thing – a bookshop without any books.

Aziraphale toured around his empty shop once more, fondly looking at all the empty shelves. He was permanently closing up shop. It was a lot better as compared to when the shop went down in flames. Because this time, he was to leave the shop empty, the books have already been moved _miraculously_ in one night.

As he turned on the final bend, one final bookshelf for one last time, he fleetingly traced his fingers on an empty shelf and let his thoughts wander.

He was leaving his bookshop; a place he had called his home on Earth for centuries. But it was nowhere near as gloomy compared to the time he thought he'd never see Crowley again. He had refused the demon's offer twice. Both times Aziraphale left with a heavy heart. It was hard enough for to him say what he said and watch Crowley walk away, but it didn't make it any easier the second time. It was in those moments that he fully realized how much it meant to him having Crowley's presence in his life on earth, was.

_I quite like having him around._ Aziraphale mostly kept that to himself over the centuries. At first because there was nothing good that may come out of admitting that openly, and decided to ignore it as best he could. But mostly he realized it was because he didn't want Gabriel to know, or any of his fellow angels for that matter.

He walked over the window, looking out into the streets, half expecting a familiar Bentley may drive in at any moment. He was almost wistful in waiting for that.

_I would very much like to have him around for longer._ It was almost a prayer that he instinctively looked up heavenward, a pleading look in his eyes.

He called out in his thoughts, _Dear Lord, can You hear me? Or have You heard all of my thoughts since before? At least where Crowley is concerned…_

The sound of a honk outside his shop pulled him out of his thoughts and into the present. He went for the door and stepped out into the street, just as Crowley had stepped out of the Bentley.

"You ready, angel?" the redhead asked.

"Yes, of course," he replied with a smile and turned to close the door. "I was just about to lock up. I do hope they make good use of this building."

"It's the Soho, I'm sure they'd figure something out by now," said Crowley, who had stood and waited for Aziraphale to get inside the car before taking his place at the driver's seat.

"Shall we?" quipped Aziraphale, looking expectantly at Crowley as the demon started the engine.

_Yes_, he thought to himself, his gaze still trained at Crowley, _I would very much like to enjoy your company for as long as we could, and for as long as we want to._

And he wondered again if the Almighty was listening.

**IV**

_I'm not a sinner he wasn't the one  
Had no idea what we would become  
There's no regret I just thought it was fun_

Aziraphale finished the last of the food on his plate with a satisfied smile, savouring every bit of the flavour, as he dabbed a napkin on the corners of his lips. He then reached for his flute of champagne for a drink. All the while the lazy smile on the redhead seated from across him did not escape his notice.

The two of them had shared many meals before throughout the centuries they've known each other, but this time was different.

"Our first meal in the cottage," he said, quite liking the thought. "What a celebration indeed."

"In_ our_ cottage, angel. It's our cottage now," Crowley reminded.

_Our cottage_. Yes, that thought was even more to Aziraphale's liking.

"Of course, dear boy," he agreed. "How can I forget?"

Aziraphale couldn't even possibly begin to imagine what Gabriel and the others would think if they could see him at that moment. There he was eating a meal in a cottage he shared with a demon. Though it wasn't just any demon – it was Crowley. And though he was certain the others won't be able to understand the difference, he was completely alright with that.

He sighed in contentment, a completely different kind of contentment that was unlike any during the times he felt content. And he realized he would very much like to get use to their arrangement, for as long as they wish to.

True, it had never occurred to him that they would ever share a place of residence. In fact, he wouldn't even dare entertain the thought of it. But since Crowley offered, Aziraphale found himself looking forward to all the days and nights they would share in _their_ cottage.

He looked around their dining room, and though he couldn't really see the rest of the interior, it would put a smile on his face how there was a mixture of each of their preference everywhere.

"Like what you see?"

Aziraphale turned to the source of the voice and was met with a familiar face whose dark-tinted glasses was removed to reveal those yellow, snake eyes, and immediately his mind's answer to the question was a resounding, _yes_.

He took a moment to compose himself before raising his glass.

"A toast," he said, and Crowley reached for his own glass and lifted it, "to our lovely cottage. And to all the meals we will surely enjoy to share."

Their glasses met in a clink.

"To us," added Crowley, before taking a sip from his champagne.

Two simple words, yet it caught Aziraphale by surprise nonetheless. His arm froze in place but for a moment before he remembered he was supposed to take a drink from his glass. Eventually he allowed himself a smile.

Who would have thought they would come to this? He – an angel, and him – a demon, in a cottage of their own, at South Downs, England.

It was almost laughable, and it filled Aziraphale with such joy.

**V**

_I still remember the moment we met  
The touch that he planted  
The garden he left  
I guess the rain was just half that effect_

The rain started pouring before Aziraphale could think of whether or not he should be watering the plants at Crowley's garden. But then it made him question whether or not it would still be raining by the time Crowley was back or if the redhead managed to bring anything to keep him dry.

_No matter, I've an umbrella around_. And just like that the thought was out of his mind just as quickly as it came.

It was then that Aziraphale found himself staring outside the window, a view of Crowley's garden before him. Strangely, it reminded him of another garden and the very first time rain came to Earth. They have gone a very long way.

He recounted their encounter, feeling reflective on how no one knew then where that fateful day would lead.

Adam and Eve. The Garden of Eden. A smile. An exchange of words. A drop of rain. An offered wing. How far they've gone indeed, never realizing they would fall in love with the world and would be forced to choose a third side which would oppose the forces of both Heaven and Hell.

He turned just as the phone rang. When he answered, it was Crowley.

"_Angel, it's me, I'll be there at any moment_," said the demon on the other line. "_Can you get me an umbrella ready?_"

Aziraphale imagined Crowley peering up the sky from within the Bentley, the phone held close to one ear, and the image brought a smile to his face that he had to choke down a laugh in case the demon might hear from the other end.

"But of course, dear boy. See you, then." He hung up.

Not long after, the Bentley pulled over at the cottage and Aziraphale stepped out to greet Crowley just as the demon started opening the car-door.

"Thanks, angel," said Crowley taking hold of the umbrella, his hand mere inches above from that of Aziraphale's.

Their shoulders touched as both took refuge of what space they could take in under their shield from the rain. Aziraphale thought back once again to that time in Eden, to the almost instinctive way both their reactions were when the first rain fell. He glanced up at Crowley for a moment, and felt a fluttering sensation bloomed in his chest, just as they were entering the cottage.

He had just put aside the umbrella and had entered the living room when Crowley asked him.

"What are you smiling at?" Dark brows wrinkled in wonder, as Crowley sprawled himself on the sofa. "Did I miss something?"

If only he knew the answer himself, for Aziraphale wasn't even aware he was smiling, nor what he must've looked like to Crowley.

"Uh-Nothing, old boy!" he managed to say. "I just… I may have just realized that… I quite like the rain."

Crowley arched a questioning brow at him. "The rain?"

"Yes! The rain."

"Since when?"

There was a moment's pause.

"Quite recently," Aziraphale beamed. And he let out a laugh when Crowley made a face.

**VI**

_No need to imagine  
'Cause I know it's true  
They say "all good boys go to heaven"  
But bad boys bring heaven to you_

A good book in his hands, a cup of hot coco, and Crowley sprawled on the sofa watching whatever was on the telly that tickled his fancy. How could Aziraphale ever ask for more?

He sighed, placing the bookmark between the pages and closed the book, left it on top of his lap and took a sip of his coco.

"Crowley?" The demon hummed in acknowledgement as a response. "Is it possible for us to stay this way?"

Crowley looked up to meet his gaze, and was silent for a moment before saying, "What you mean? Is there a reason why it couldn't?"

"Well, I just, I want to know if you think we could be like this for as long as we wanted to. In your honest opinion."

Crowley seemed to be considering how to respond, as the demon slowly sat up from his sprawled-out position.

"Do you like what we have here?" Crowley asked. Aziraphale took note how the question was tentatively delivered, and proceeded to nod his head.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, I do. All of it."

"With _me_?"

There was a vulnerability in Crowley's voice that Aziraphale rarely heard. One of the rare times he thought he heard the redhead's voice took on this tone was when he was discorporated, and Crowley had said he hadn't gone to Alpha Centauri due to "stuff happened".

_I lost my bestfriend._

The words echoed in his head from the not so distant past.

"It wouldn't be 'all of it' without you, would it?"

Silence reigned between them, heavy and thick, and not one of them dared look away.

_It's automatic  
It's just what they do_

"Aziraphale," Crowley took on a serious demeanor, that Aziraphale almost regretted bringing up the subject, "we'll be here for a long time. And for as long as we are, whatever it is we have here, will also stay that way for a long time. I know it will. I do believe it will."

The words moved something deep within Aziraphale that he felt he might as well cry right then and there, but no tears came. Instead he smiled fondly at the redhead staring back at him.

"I'm glad I have _this_ with you, Crowley. However ineffable it may be."

Crowley's lips curved into a crooked smile.

"Me too, angel."

_They say "all good boys go to heaven"  
But bad boys bring heaven to you_

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, that happened. This is my first ever fan fiction under the Good Omens fandom, of which I have developed a fondness for. Especially of Aziraphale, and also since he is played by the incredible Mr. Michael Sheen. Not that Mr. David Tennant isn't awesome as Crowley, which he is by the way. The song choice came to me one day after having watched the miniseries and was slowly being introduced to the fandom. I had my earphones on, listening to the music on the playlist of my phone when "Heaven" by Julia Michaels played and all that I could think of is how the lyrics reminded me so much of Aziraphale and Crowley. Which is just strange because for me knowing that it's a soundtrack in Fifty Shades Freed... But anyway, this fic is the result of that... Well, this and also a video on Youtube. So I hope you enjoyed your read, and if you feel like it, leave a review/comment and/or final thoughts. **_~ sankage_**


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